Site Review-Part 1. 

The Site is Situated in Wickford, Essex. Splatoon is both a Paintball and Airsoft site. The paintball site has been running in excess of 10 years, with the airsoft side of things having been running for almost 6 years. The site is placed on Dollyman's Farm and is secured behind a locked gate and then a further entrance leading down to the car park. There is a short walk from the car parking area down to the entrance, however, the site has done a good job of making sure that the driveway itself doesn't puddle and is firm underfoot rather than a boggy, muddy mess. Upon entry, we were greeted by Ken at the front counter who asked if we were walk-on or pre-booked which led to the usual pleasantries and preamble for the day. This process was incredibly simple and gave a good introduction to the site. There is also a small on-site shop, which stocks the essentials - bb's, gas, and a few little extras that you usually need but always seem to forget to pick up at home. Where Splatoon feels different to many sites is their toilets and their food counter/kitchen. Both are what you would consider to be "permanent" structures rather than Portaloos, or a burger van-type deal. They also have a deal for £1.50 where you get hot drinks all day and you get to take the cup home with you as a bit of a souvenir too. They also serve hot food here which isn't always something you find, and you order your lunch when you enter to reduce queueing time when it hits that lunch break we all seem to be itching for! The safe zone is all undercover meaning that at least whilst you're kitting up or sorting your gear out you can do so with protection from the elements, and there was adequate space on site for everyone that arrived to play for the day without everyone having to be on top of each other. 

Review Part 2:- Safety Brief. 

The safety brief was to the point, and concise. It covered all of the required safety guidelines, fps limits, and their rules around MED's and surrender opportunities. Everyone was put through chrono before the first game in line with the relevant limits for AEG, DMR, Sniper Rifle etc, etc. A couple of questions after the brief were quickly and effectively answered and then we were briefed on the first game scenario - and we were in for a treat as they had just brought in to play a new double-decker bus on site that they were looking to make use of. We notified the Marshall team of our own health conditions, and they actually paid attention as after the first game we didn't need to reload so we stayed in the field. A few minutes went by before they came back into the game area to identify if we were there as they didn't see us in the safe zone (they hadn't heard me shout that we were staying out). Plus one to the team for this! 

Review PART 3: - The Game Field and Games 

The field itself is split into 3 very distinct areas of play, with the top area split into 2 further "areas" for lack of a better word to describe it. 2 of the areas are woodland, with the top section containing a larger kill house area, and then a number of shipping containers that have two levels to allow for different angles of attack and defense into the area. There were very few "OP" spots that could be abused, and learning how to move as a team - or even a very solid individual - can make steady progress if approached correctly. It doesn't feel like there are many obvious choke points in the areas that would prevent progress if approached with the correct level of aggression, though if you are a player that sits back then progress will be incredibly difficult to make. The cover is very well placed and varies from solid cover, barrels, man-made structures, shipping containers, helicopters, vehicles, and of course the double-decker bus! The bus was in use in the first game where as a team we had to attack the area first and clear the bus. This was a great experience and seeing how they have kitted out the bus meant that you had to think about how you pressed up to it as the upper floor had a nice vantage point, but could still still be shot at quite effectively for an accurate player. The woodland areas are designed in such a way that they are used for "push through" or "domination" type games where you start from one end and work till you reach the other end. This makes it sound more direct than it actually is as the tree line on each side and rat runs give some good routes to flank around if you can work them well enough. They also aren't designed in such a way that they are impossible to defend or attack, meaning that it relies on the skill level of the players and teamwork to achieve the objective set out. 

Review Part 4:- Summary Overall. 

The day was hugely enjoyable with essentially next to nothing to complain about. With the double-decker bus being a new feature they were keen to use it, but also needed to see how it would play which, led to a little confusion at the time - but the marshaling team listened to the feedback that they were offered and ironed this out in time for the turn around of game 1. Hit-taking by all on the day was also top-notch, and didn't seem to see the deterioration that I personally witnessed after the lunch hour when everyone's belly was full lol. As a team, we are already looking at getting Splatoon into our schedule once again, and we can wholeheartedly recommend the site to any who are thinking about giving it a go. You definitely won't be disappointed!

Site Review by  Daniel Johnson aka :- https://www.instagram.com/spider_airsoft1982/#

Photo's by Philip Eastwood aka :- https://www.instagram.com/p.eastwood_callsign_muninn/

Team :- https://www.instagram.com/odins_ravens_airsoft_team/